Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Music In Hospitals

Harpist Takes Talents to UVA Medical Center

Posted:
Dec 21, 2012 5:34 PM EST
Updated:
Dec 21, 2012 5:45 PM EST

Charlottesville musician
Kate Tamarkin is taking a new stage. The director of the
Charlottesville and University Symphony Orchestra is brightening the
holiday season at the University of Virginia Medical Center.

Tamarkin says the music of her harp not
only improves patients' moods, but it can also lower blood pressure and
reduce the amount of pain medication patients need.

"Although I'm used to standing up on a
podium and making big gestures and having sort of a grand, large
communal experience, some of my most beautiful experiences have been
just one-on-one with a harp, with a person who needs to hear it,"
Tamarkin.

Tamarkin says the music is therapeutic
for all different kinds of patients, including newborn babies. She says
it's also helpful to family members and nurses dealing with stressful
situations.

You can find Tamarkin at the UVA Medical Center throughout the holiday season.

I do think that, to some extent, music in a hospital setting helps. I'm not entirely sure where Tamarkin is performing, though. Most musicians seem to perform in the lobby of a hospital, but recently, I've heard of some who visit individual patients, too! I'm actually planning on performing at University Hospitals in the next coming months. It will be interesting to see just how I connect with others on a musical level - perhaps it will be even more touching than when on stage. Feel free to comment.